1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for analysing impurity levels in liquid carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), and to a method for using the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previous methods of separating impurities from liquid CO.sub.2 rely primarily on High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to separate out the constituents of impurities contained in the liquid CO.sub.2, for analysis of the impurity levels. The equipment necessary to carry out these methods is expensive and has an inherent lower resolution, quantification, and accuracy than that which is required for many applications. Also, some impurities may not be able to be separated using this technique, rendering the HPLC method useless for detecting the presence of these impurities. Furthermore, the equipment has to be calibrated frequently, usually just prior to use.